3 ms·

Also worth highlighting that The Upshot found this error on the first item they reviewed. If already the first one you check is wrong, then the Bayesian in me h

Also worth highlighting that The Upshot found this error on the first item they reviewed. If already the first one you check is wrong, then the Bayesian in me has a hard time having much confidence in the rest of it.

skepticATX 2y ago
There are more oddities for sure. For example, when they cancel a multi-year contract they are considering the entire value of the contract as savings even if a significant chunk of the money has already been distributed.
- oskarkk 2y ago
  On "Wall of Receipts" on the DOGE website there's a switch with "total contract value" and "savings" options. I guess that the purpose of the second option is to exclude money that has already been paid for that contract. It should be the default option, but of course they want to show a bigger number. But I see some strange cases where total contract value is lower than savings, but that's in real estate, I don't know how that works and what they're doing with that. https://www.doge.gov/savings https://www.doge.gov/savings
belter 2y ago
Now update your priors about who runs it :-) "Contradictory statements about Musk make it unclear who runs DOGE" - https://abcnews.go.com/US/white-house-claims-elon-musk-doesnt-run-doge/story?id=118913206 https://abcnews.go.com/US/white-house-claims-elon-musk-doesn...
- Etheryte 2y ago
  I'm not really sure how that's relevant? I'm not even American, I don't care who runs it. This seems like pointless flame bait.
  - psb217 2y ago
    I think the ubiquity of general disarray and confusion surrounding this agency is relevant to the discussion of whether or not we can trust their intentions and claims. So, further evidence of the extent of this general disarray and confusion is worth considering and not "pointless flame bait".
- dekhn 2y ago
  You don't need to be the titular head of an agency/department/service/whatever to be the defacto head.
myroon5 2y ago
I found and posted that here Monday before the NYT: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43084891 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43084891
- Sparyjerry 2y ago
  Apparently DOGE are the ones that did it first. DOGE were the ones to update the value to the $8M from $8B that was incorrectly in the system.
  - deleted 2y ago
    [deleted]
  - Aloisius 2y ago
    So they reported they saved $8 billion after discovering it was really $8 million? I'm not sure that's better.
    - Sparyjerry 2y ago
      No, they were the ones who found that someone entered $8B in the system, asked them to change it to $8M. They never reported saving $8B in their own savings for this program. The numbers they used are tied into the systems so it only updates with the system.
      - Aloisius 2y ago
        DOGE did claim $8B in savings on their own system on Monday. That's the whole article is about. There's even a screenshot. The $8B -> $8M change was made in Federal Procurement System on January 22nd. So if DOGE is who found the issue in the procurement system originally, that means they lied about saving $8B weeks after they discovered it was only for $8M.
alsoforgotmypwd 2y ago
It's unsurprising given this RAGE/DOGE is mass distraction and/or government obliteration with all of the care of a grizzly bear eating a salmon.

skepticATX 2y ago

There are more oddities for sure. For example, when they cancel a multi-year contract they are considering the entire value of the contract as savings even if a significant chunk of the money has already been distributed.

oskarkk 2y ago
On "Wall of Receipts" on the DOGE website there's a switch with "total contract value" and "savings" options. I guess that the purpose of the second option is to exclude money that has already been paid for that contract. It should be the default option, but of course they want to show a bigger number. But I see some strange cases where total contract value is lower than savings, but that's in real estate, I don't know how that works and what they're doing with that. https://www.doge.gov/savings https://www.doge.gov/savings

belter 2y ago

Now update your priors about who runs it :-) "Contradictory statements about Musk make it unclear who runs DOGE" - https://abcnews.go.com/US/white-house-claims-elon-musk-doesnt-run-doge/story?id=118913206 https://abcnews.go.com/US/white-house-claims-elon-musk-doesn...

Etheryte 2y ago
I'm not really sure how that's relevant? I'm not even American, I don't care who runs it. This seems like pointless flame bait.
- psb217 2y ago
  I think the ubiquity of general disarray and confusion surrounding this agency is relevant to the discussion of whether or not we can trust their intentions and claims. So, further evidence of the extent of this general disarray and confusion is worth considering and not "pointless flame bait".
dekhn 2y ago
You don't need to be the titular head of an agency/department/service/whatever to be the defacto head.

myroon5 2y ago

I found and posted that here Monday before the NYT: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43084891 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43084891

Sparyjerry 2y ago
Apparently DOGE are the ones that did it first. DOGE were the ones to update the value to the $8M from $8B that was incorrectly in the system.
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
- Aloisius 2y ago
  So they reported they saved $8 billion after discovering it was really $8 million? I'm not sure that's better.
  - Sparyjerry 2y ago
    No, they were the ones who found that someone entered $8B in the system, asked them to change it to $8M. They never reported saving $8B in their own savings for this program. The numbers they used are tied into the systems so it only updates with the system.
    - Aloisius 2y ago
      DOGE did claim $8B in savings on their own system on Monday. That's the whole article is about. There's even a screenshot. The $8B -> $8M change was made in Federal Procurement System on January 22nd. So if DOGE is who found the issue in the procurement system originally, that means they lied about saving $8B weeks after they discovered it was only for $8M.

alsoforgotmypwd 2y ago

It's unsurprising given this RAGE/DOGE is mass distraction and/or government obliteration with all of the care of a grizzly bear eating a salmon.